Proper 8B

About the Contributor

Chaplain Resident at

St. Mary’s Medical Center

Prop 8B

Rich Shockey

O Gracious Lord, you have forever conquered death, brought life to lifeless things, and illuminated all that is hidden. Help us to live as resurrection people, not only with our lips, but also in the ways that we love one another and bear witness to that resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

While there is no thematic unity or common thread that can be traced through ordinary time, it is fitting to remember that every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. All of the things that concern the church find their meaning and fulfillment in the coming Kingdom of God, which is characterized by resurrection–both historically in the person of Jesus, and eschatologically.

So this collect reflects the thread of new life that runs through our ordinary days, reminding us that all of our work and shared life is imbued with resurrection (cf. the lection from the Gospel of Mark.)

It is fitting, then, that the lection this week from the Wisdom of Solomon says:

For he created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them, and the dominion of Hades is not on earth..

Rich Shockey

Executive Director of Operations at

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